


Why the SPN finale sucked - An essay on screenwriting, queerbaiting and death of the author

by AthenaJwel16



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Destiel Becoming Canon On 5 November 2020 (Supernatural), Essays, F/M, M/M, Other, Post-Finale, Writers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:48:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27744748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AthenaJwel16/pseuds/AthenaJwel16
Summary: This a reflection on how Supernatural ended. I talk about Destiel, a 15 year long story development and my take on what is happening right now in the fandom.Several chapters for several themes !
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester
Comments: 9
Kudos: 18





	1. Who is writing this ?

**Author's Note:**

> Please keep in mind this is my point of view. Yours is as valid as mine. You are more than welcome to discuss it in the comments below !  
> No hate on the crew/cast/writers will be tolerated.  
> This essay was written just after Misha Collins posted a video, saying that the spanish dubb version was the work of a rogue translator, thus invalidating Dean as bisexual. Anytime something new can happen so my essay will certainly be out of date pretty soon.  
> Though I hope you will appreciate reading it !

**How Supernatural ended - an essay**

_Who is writing this ?_

I feel like I should first of all introduce myself. I am a 21 year old French student in translation and I've been a SPN fan since 8-9 years or so. Watching Supernatural is basically how I learned English. During my high school years I was having trouble identifying myself with female badass characters. Dean Winchester became a role model to me, as he was the big protective brother and I act a lot like him towards my younger siblings. I fell in love with the story, the characters and the universe. Castiel was always my favorite character (I think you see where I'm going there) and so naturally I began shipping Destiel. I am a white cis bisexual woman.

I took a step back at SPN after graduation. I didn't have as much free time as before to watch tv shows but I was still following SPN and watching the episodes once a week. Then season 15 happened, the pandemic happened and I have to submit my thesis next year. I am almost certain it will be on queerbaiting, and everything happening around the SPN finale got me to brainstorm my thesis first ideas. This is why I am writing this essay, to express myself but also to try getting my head around the fact that in 2020, the queer community still has to be satisfied with breadcrums instead of actual happy storylines.


	2. The storytelling process

_Who's got a say in what happens in a tv show ?_

When it comes to storytelling, different players come at play : the writers, who create the characters and the plot - the cast embodying this - the platform, monitoring and presenting the show to the public - the fans watching the show.

For a show to be well written, the writers' choices have to correspond to the acting and how the fans receive it. To make it clearer, let's use a simple formula that I use in translation:

A = the writers' choices

B = how this choice is showed on screen (it can be the acting, the soundtrack...)

C = how the fans receive it and interpret it

If A = B = C, then the writers are praised, the characters get a coherent storyline and the fans are satisfied. Let me take an example in the SPN context :

A = the script says « Dean eats a pie »

B = Jensen Ackles is filmed eating a pie

C = Dean Winchester eats a pie onscreen

In this example, A=B=C and the writers managed to convey their idea to the fans via the acting and/or the setting. In some cases, A=B but C is different because the fans read the scene differently. And sometimes, A doesn't even match B because the actor willingly decided to play it differently (or improvised).

The important thing to remember is that B, once freed from the writers grasp, becomes its own entity. Which means there is a crucial step between how the writers write a character and how the fans perceive it. I believe in the death of the author, meaning that for me, a character, once played onscreen, becomes its own autonomous individual. The Sam Winchester onscreen isn't the same Sam Winchester of the script.

Now how is this relevant to the SPN finale ? Well, not only A didn't match C (the fans have repeatedly tweeted how the finale was bad these past couple of weeks), but B was completely erased. The actual SPN finale formula, as it was showed and written, is : A=A'= (hopefully) C

The writers projected their idea of the characters' end (A) onto the characters themselves (B becomes a copy of the writers will = A') and their 15 year long development. No wonder C didn't match A, since there was no B to make it work !

That's why the finale felt so off, so not SPN at all, almost like a parody of the real show. My best friend (who didn't know about SPN before this) watched the pilot and the finale afterwards. She understood everything. Why 15 seasons then ? Why all of this development if we're just wrapping the whole thing up with two brothers hunting monsters together and one dying on the spot ? The writers completely ignored the characters' desires and own identities. They ignored their growth, and growth is what makes an average character become a great one.

No one is interested in a character that doesn't evolve. That's why Dean learning to be something else than his dad's instrument was so appealing. That's why Crowley's slow understanding of the human condition was so interesting to watch. That's why Castiel's whole change of heart about Heaven in the first seasons felt so epic. Growth makes the characters relatable, sensitive, and adds a layer of reality to the show.


	3. A CW conspiracy ?

_The network : a CW conspiracy ?_

You may have noticed that I haven't put the platform in the formula. But keep in mind that a network can always intefere during a writing process. Whether it's giving the writers rules or editing in/out some scenes before putting it out there for people to watch, the production of a show has always a huge part to play. Concerning Supernatural, the latest seasons gained a very CW aesthetic. As opposed to the first seasons where the lighting was bad and the soundtrack wasn't often used, season 10 and on started to look like Riverdale visually. You could see the makeup, hear the sound effects, everything was very drama-like. I'm not here to judge whether it's right or wrong, but I definitely noticed something had changed.

The thing with the CW is, it's quite a conservative network pretending to be a progressive one. Just take a look at their other shows to see what I'm talking about (Riverdale or Supergirl to begin with). Dialogs seem too well orchestrated, characters take non-sensical decisions for the purpose of plotwist effect, the representation praised through social media is extremely flawed (but more on that later).

Supernatural was also quite conservative at its debut. It was meant to appeal to male teenagers and the white American middle class. It wasn't supposed to go on, and to go on worldwide. As it gained more popularity, the show began to include more representation and other themes, such as the extension of the lore, parenting (with Mary and with Jack later on) and especially individuality. Dean and Sam began to grow individually as characters, each developping their own story. They weren't just brothers anymore (this is known as the codependency trope online), even though their bond strenghtened through the years.

That was refreshing ! While always supporting each other, Sam and Dean got acquainted with other characters along the way, characters that made an impact on them and helped them grow. As soon as Dean met Castiel, he wasn't the same Dean that popped up in the pilot. As soon as Sam got tangled up with Lucifer, he wasn't the same Sam the fans saw in the pilot. Sam and Dean changed, for the worst and for the better. They evolved, as we all do. That's what made the show go on for so long. And that's why the finale hurt so bad, because it didn't acknowledge that at all.

Was it the writers fault ? The CW's ? Both ? We might never know. But something is happening as a result of this erasure and the CW is definitely trying to ignore it.


	4. The more meta you get, the more you know

If there's one thing Supernatural is good at, it's the meta content. I think we can all agree that « The French Mistake », « Changing Channels » and « Fan Fiction » were some of the best episodes of the entire show. Why ? Because it's bold, because it's daring. It establishes a strong connection between the imaginary characters and people watching them. It allows the show to have a critical view of itself and often uses humor to debunk its most serious themes. I always loved those episodes. And I was expecting the finale to be entirely meta. They could've pulled it off, they'd done it before and it would have been brilliant. During the first twenty minutes of the finale, I was expecting Misha to pop up and say something like « You really believe this is our ending ? » and then break the fourth wall.

My perfect meta ending would have been something like that : the episode starts with a regular hunt, monster of the week, everything we had but something is off. It feels like a parody. Then the actors break the fourth wall. Jensen tells Dean everything he has to say. Jared tells Sam how much he changed his life. Misha speaks with Castiel about his evolution. (I would also have included other major characters but you get the idea). They say goodbye to their characters, to their friends. Then the main three would directly talk to us through the camera. They would submit a worldwide survey via the CW, so every fan could express their idea of a perfect ending. The network would collect the data and the writers would pull together a finale worthy of the show, the cast, the characters and the fans. They would shoot this ending after Covid. What better ending than one entirely written by all the fans around the world ?

The thing is, meta could've saved the finale. I thought that the season 15 plot was really good, with this theme of making God, the writer, the villain. Because throughout the entire show, it always has been about free will. Free will against John's will, free will against cosmic entities trying to monitor the brothers' life. The parallel between God and the writers of the show was established, especially with Becky's scene where she reads Chuck's ending. They could have been free. The build up of season 15 lead us to believe they would.

  
  



	5. The queer content of Supernatural

As I mentioned earlier, I always shipped Destiel. It just was obvious to me. Dean got less and less love interests through the seasons and his bond with Cas only grew stronger. The chemistry between them was undeniable. It has been made canon and showed multiples times that Cas and Sam are friends, while it seems that Dean and Cas are sharing something more. I'm sorry, but how can someone read the 8x07 scene as straight ? Cas is back from Purgatory, he gets cleaned up, and when he gets out of the bathroom, Dean is speechless and shifts his legs awkwardly, Sam chuckles and gives him a knowing look. If someone has a straight explanation for this, please do notify me.

This why Destiel held the first place of queerbait for so long. It was obviously not written as a romantic relationship and yet they kept using it to tease the audience (through jokes « Cas, not for nothing, but the last person who looked at me like that, I got laid », longing glances and especially other characters teasing Dean's and Cas' relationship. Like literally everyone was shipping them). This is when the queerbait stops being innocent and accidental, and becomes a marketing tool to make more money.

The thing is, they would actually have earned a lot more money if they had given us proper representation. They would've lost their conservative audience, but guess what ? It's not the conservative audience that goes to convention and buys merch. I really don't think this is about fearing that they would lose money. This is about homophobia, and the fact that the writers are a majority of cishet white males. The occurrences of Destiel that we've had were written by an openly gay screenwriter (God bless his soul).

Homophobia got in the way of Dean's and Cas' story. They would've made great representation if done properly (and by that I mean not a last minute declaration followed by instant death). It was in their logical character arc to fall in love with each other. The spanish dubb revealing that bi!Dean was (maybe) another Bury Your Gays hurt me so bad, on a personal level. Why does the LGBT+ has to literally beg and hope to be accurately represented onscreen ? Why do we have to hope for a happy ending ? This is why I laugh nervously when straight people tell me to « cool down, you have the same rights as us now ». LGBT+ characters should have full, happy and complex storylines, just as straight characters do.

Having shed some light on that, this isn't just about Destiel. This is about Crowley, Rowena, Jack, Billie, who got their queerness confirmed off screen and never mentioned onscreen. This is about Charlie and all the other LGBT+ characters that were either mocked, or killed off, or both. Making Destiel properly canon in the finale, giving them the happy end they deserved, showing that to a queer audience (that happy ends do exist), would've changed everything. Instead we have to be satisfied by breadcrums given to us post-finale by the actors acting mysteriously on social media and leaks from the Spanish version. We made this show go on for so long. We deserved better.

Supernatural could've made history as the longest sci-fi tv show having a bisexual lead (a stereotypical white American masculine protagonist), but no. Three words were apparently too risky for them. They ruined the show's legacy. Now we have to carry the story on our own.


	6. What do we do now ?

What will the legacy of Supernatural be ? Will people only remember the show for ending on the worst note possible, or will it be possible to remember it with a sweet nostalgy ? Personally, I will continue to watch Supernatural. I have made an episode guide throughout the seasons that I am very proud of and I can't wait to rewatch it with my best friend. I will ignore 15x19 and 15x20 and take Destiel as canon (thank you Spanish rogue translator). Why ? Because even after everything, I love these characters. I got attached to them, to their humor, to their sensitivity.

The current situation is a bit hectic. Everyday new information comes up on social media and I fear it's going to become toxic. They wanted full closure, they got the exact opposite. I can't imagine what it must be like for the actors who poured their heart and soul into this show for so long. **Let's us not forget to show them love and gratitude for their amazing performance through the years !**

Sure, Supernatural is flawed, in many ways. The lack of BIPOC is appalling. Supernatural is a white only microcosm and it should have included more BIPOC characters, stories and cast. Supernatural's lack of lasting (lead) female characters is appalling. The show is definitely not a feminist one. Eileen, which was an amazing character and a great representation, deserved better than to be forgotten about. Rowena, Charlie, Claire, Kaia deserved better. Supernatural is a cisheterosexual normative microcosm that played way too much into the Bury Your Gays trope. That really hurt me. The lack of LBGT+ representation is appalling (so erased that queer characters are made canon off screen -thank you Alexander Calvert, Mark Sheppard and all the others-).

I watch Supernatural like I watch the X-Files. I know it's kitsch. I know it can be problematic. I know it isn't inclusive. I can criticize it and enjoy it for what it offers.

So I guess that's it for now, huh. If you got here, thank you. I appreciate you. You're valid and beautiful. The road so far... still goes on with us.


End file.
